The Simplest Risk
by NerdGirl95
Summary: "If anyone had told her even a year ago that this would be where she would be, tonight of all nights, she would have laughed at them and sent them to St Mungo's. But here she was, perfect prefect Lily, locked in her bathroom, staring at the sink." Can Lily give in to her emotion and take a risk, or will she be trapped by perfection forever? Written for the Tour de Fiction Challenge


**A/N. ****_Written for the Tour de Fiction Challenge 2013. Using Song: Get Lucky – Daft Punk; Prompts: Pregnant, Rain, Happy Meal; Quote: "Can I have a Virgin Cuba Libre" "That's a rum and coke…without the rum?" "Yes, and could you make that diet?"_**

**The Simplest Risk**

If anyone had told her even a year ago that this would be where she would be, tonight of all nights, she would have laughed at them and sent them to St Mungo's. But here she was, perfect prefect Lily, locked in her bathroom, staring at the sink. Well, she wasn't really a prefect anymore, and she wasn't really staring at the sink. No, she was a responsible **single** adult not two years out of Hogwarts, staring at a tiny plastic stick that would determine her future.

This was not her ideal way to spend Christmas Eve, but she knew she would not be able to join in the celebrations if she waited any longer. Oh, who was she kidding? She wouldn't be able to join the celebrations even if she did know. She really didn't know what she wanted to happen – either one would change her life, even in a tiny way. And **he** was going to be there.

As she sat there, watching the second hand make its slow way around the Muggle watch she still insisted on wearing, Lily thought back to what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. Ever since being Head Girl with James she couldn't deny feeling something for the messy-haired boy – man. He was actually pretty funny, she had discovered, and had a heart of gold – if you weren't a Slytherin. And that lopsided smile of his just made her heart melt. But she didn't let it. Oh no, perfect prefect Lily wouldn't allow herself to just let her emotions take over, instead convincing herself they wouldn't work. A carefree prankster pureblood and the uptight law abiding muggle born. No, they just weren't compatible, or at least that's what she had told herself. But in reality, she knew she was just downright scared. Scared to finally admit to what she was feeling, scared to take a risk. She took enough as it was each day in this stupid war.

So she had settled for much less than what she really wanted – Amos Diggory. He wasn't a bad man, quite nice actually, but he wasn't James Potter. But then her whole view of him had changed, only two months ago. Who she thought was a sweet, caring nineteen-year-old was an insecure, manipulative twenty five-year-old who was not only married but the father of a little two-year-old boy. Despite the six year age gap, Amos had always been jealous of James – the rich kid that got everything he ever wanted – and so took Lily before the younger man had a chance.

Feeling used and dirty Lily had stumbled blindly down the street, falling into the first bar she found. Just her luck that Potter and his friends were there. They hadn't noticed her though, and she took this as a good sign as she slipped into a booth towards the back of the club. Willing herself not to cry until she got home, but not wanting to yet, she turned to the waiter who was waiting impatiently for her order. "Umm, I'll just have a Virgin Cuba Libre." The waiter gave her the weirdest look she'd gotten since Hogwarts, but she really didn't care tonight. "So, that's a rum and coke…without the rum?" She couldn't really blame him for thinking she was a little odd, but since she'd already done one weird thing, she decided to go the whole hog. "Yes, and could you make that a diet please?" Even she could hear the tiredness and despair in her voice, and wasn't surprised when the waiter just gave her a sympathetic look and returned to the bar to get her drink.

As soon as it had come, however, she decided that she really didn't want to stay sober tonight after all. Yeah, she wasn't one for drinking, but she had pretty much been Amos' mistress for an entire year. In fact, that's how she found out – he got so annoyed that she wouldn't sleep with him that he shouted that Mary didn't care about waiting until marriage – how did she think they had Cedric when they had only been married a year? Well, she had left pretty swiftly after that, but not before he could accuse her of being loose and leading him on. Yes, she definitely deserved a drink tonight.

One drink soon became two, then three, then four, and after that she lost track. Before she knew it she was out on the dance floor, grinding her hips against strange and sweaty men – and even the occasional woman. For someone who only hours ago was being yelled at for being a prude, seconds before being called much more awful and horrible names she wished to forget, she seemed to have very little inhibitions. Tonight all she wanted was to feel love, just to get some feeling that she want totally worthless.

Across the floor she spotted James, sitting alone at the bar, and throwing caution and common sense to the wind she approached him. Eventually she succeeded in pulling James – who wasn't exactly sober himself – out onto the dance floor. Dancing soon became kissing, which became full on snogging, and before she knew it she was being lowered gently onto a bed above the bar. She didn't think it was possible for things to get more passionate than they were, but apparently it was, for soon she was completely naked, pushed up against another naked body. She'd never slept with anyone before, but she had never imagined it to be this good. James was so fierce, yet so loving. She couldn't imagine doing this with anyone but him.

The next day she woke up with a crashing headache, in a strange bed. Suddenly the previous night's memories came flooding back, and with one last glance at the sleeping James she had fled the scene, vowing to never speak to him again. She was so mortified, she couldn't bring herself to ever have contact with him for the rest of her life, leaving his letters untouched on the kitchen bench. She had hoped that time would erase the memories, or at least warm feelings she had whenever she thought of him on that night, but here she was, about to find out if she would be left with a lasting reminder or not.

Three…

Two…

One…

Positive.

Oh Merlin, it was positive. She was pregnant. With James Potter's baby. At nineteen. Oh sweet Merlin.

She couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly the relatively large bathroom was claustrophobic, as was her bedroom, and the entire house. She sprinted out into the pouring rain, no caring where she was going, just knowing that she had to get away. She ran down the street and into the park, collapsing under the huge tree she had spent so many summer days reading under as a child. Even without the rain, her sobs were so loud that she wouldn't have hear anyone come up behind her, and she almost screamed when she felt someone touch her shoulder, only to look into warm, hazel eyes. Oh Merlin, of all the people, it just had to be him?

"Lily, are you ok?" She wanted to answer him, she truly did, but her already overloaded brain just couldn't take anymore, and all she managed was a hysterical sounding sob.

"Shh Lil, it's ok. Whatever it is, it's ok. Just answer me this, is it about that night?" His eyes were so soft, so full of concern, that she just couldn't lie to him. Still unable to speak, she gave him a single nod before looking down at her feet.

"Lily, I don't know about you, but I regret nothing from that night. Nothing. I love you, have for a long time. If the only way I could ever be with you is a drunken one night stand, so be it. But just know that I would do anything for you Lils. I'd even marry you this second if that was what you wanted."

Merlin, could she love him anymore than right now? What had she been thinking, trying to run away from her emotions? She loved James. She was fathoms deep in love with James Charlus Potter. How on earth had she not seen that before?

"I love you James, have since seventh year." He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued. "I tried to run away from my emotions, scared to admit to what I was feeling. I was too scared to take yet another risk in this crazy thing we call a life. But I made the biggest mistake of my life. That night, I had just found out that my boyfriend was a married man six years my senior who used me to get to you and try to get in my pants. I was a wreck. And ironically, I didn't care if someone did get in my pants that night. I felt so worthless, I just wanted to feel like someone loved me. But then I went and used you, like I'd been used and –"

Before she could finish his lips were against hers, soft and warm, and all her doubts disappeared. But then she remembered that little stick, the one deal breaker. "James, I'm pregnant."

H just looked at her in shock and confusion. "With your baby" she clarified. Suddenly his whole face lit up, and she found herself being spun around and around in circles. "We're going to be parents!" he exclaimed joyfully. "Yes, I guess we are," she laughed with him, and if she was a little teary, well, who could blame her really?

"It'll have your eyes, and maybe if it's a girl she will have your hair too! And we can teach them how to fly a broomstick, and a muggle bike, and take them to the park and Diagon Alley, and when they get old enough we can take them out for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron, or that muggle place – McRonald's? – And we can get them a hippy meal!"

"Happy meal James, at McDonald's" She just couldn't refrain from correcting him. But then she started laughing, and he joined in, and suddenly they found themselves in a heap on the ground, without really knowing how they got there.

"Marry me" he whispered. Just like that, like it was the simplest thing in the world. And maybe, she thought to herself, it was. Because life didn't always have to make sense, or fit rational arguments. Sometimes, you had to do the crazy stuff, just go out on a limb and take a colossal risk, because really, what kind of life would that be of you only did the predictable everyday?

"Yes, I will marry you"

**A/N. Well, that escalated! What started as a short idea in my head with three prompts turned into a three page story using five... Well, please let me know what you think! NG.**


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